The present invention relates to compositions comprising polymers whose
solubility characteristics can be changed by incubation and particularly
poly (N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide mono/di-lactate) interpolymers.
Another aspect of this invention is the application of such temperature
sensitive polymers as release systems of biologically active compounds.
The polymers of the present invention, comprise monomers which have
modifiable functionality. The functionality of the monomers can for
example be modified by the presence of hydrolysable groups. The
modification is effected by the incubation, leading to a change of the
water solubility characteristics of the polymer. The polymers used in the
present invention contain hydrolysable chemical groups. As a result the
polymer's solution characteristics, specifically its lower critical
solution temperature (LCST), change upon incubation.